B.C. Lions' Nick Moore’s make-or-break year off to a good start

There won’t be any forgiveness this season if last year’s dropped passes begin to reappear

The Lions’ Nick Moore reels in a touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Reilly against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in pre-season play Wednesday. He caught four passes for 77 yards.

Photograph by: Ian Lindsay
, PNG

VANCOUVER — Nick Moore has two options: one is to catch as many footballs thrown his way as he possibly can and turn tantalizing skill into a full-time career.

Or …

The second option is bleak. Go through yet another case of the dropsies, which, as a rookie with the B.C. Lions in 2011, he battled early and far too frequently. The latter would likely spell the end to his brief tenure in Vancouver.

Moore, who committed a trio of drops in last year’s season opener against the Montreal Alouettes, two of which were in the end zone and proved costly in a 30-26 loss, hopes to come back from those setbacks that eventually landed him a demotion to the practice roster after just seven games and could still go a long way in determining his immediate future with the Lions.

On Wednesday, he again gave fans, media and the Lions brass a glimpse of what he’s capable of, as B.C. opened the pre-season with a 44-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at BC Place Stadium.

The small sample size included four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which came with Roughrider green and white draped all over him.

“It feels to get back out there, you know, with the guys and finally get to beat up on another team,” said Moore, the wide receiver who turns 26 on June 25.

In a halftime stroke of confidence, Moore boldly prophesied his second touchdown of the night was still on its way.

He put word into action, hooking up with quarterback Mike Reilly for a 30-yard strike that, convert included, put the defending Grey Cup champs up 34-3.

“I told a couple people that I wasn’t done yet and I felt like I was going to get another one,” said Moore, who spent this past off-season training in Tampa Bay, Columbus and New Orleans, where is older brother Lance plays for the NFL’s Saints.

“It’s kind of crazy because I was envisioning it today. I felt like I was going to get into the end zone today and it happened.”

Wednesday’s portion of the audition went well. More importantly, Moore made an impression on those forced to decide his fate.

“A lot of time, there’s a lot put on these guys and they need some time to mature, some time to get into the groove of what they do,” said head coach Mike Benevides.

“For Nick … he knows the system, he knows the people and all he’s doing is going out there playing the game at a high level. He played very fluid, very natural. He made some nice catches. What he’s doing is performing at the level of the expectations. Nick Moore is an outstanding player. He just needs to perform it on the field and today he did that.”

Despite his two touchdown performance Wednesday, cracking the Lions lineup is still a tough task. Becoming a regular target for Travis Lulay will be an even tougher task considering there is a legend (Geroy Simon), a hall of fame argument (Arland Bruce), and four younger veterans (Kierrie Johnson and non-imports Akeem Foster Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi) ahead of him on the depth chart.

And there is little time to get comfortable, as training camp resumed in Kamloops on Thursday.

Moore isn’t afforded the subtle cushion of a dropped pass here or there, and look-the-other-way forgiveness from the coaching staff, or general manager Wally Buono.

“Nick Moore has been with us now off and on for two years,” said Buono. “I think it’s make or break it season for him. He’s had a good camp and he had a good game, so you’ve got to take note of that and we’ve always believed he had the ability.

“Last year, he got hurt and he struggled a little bit when he got into the games. Hopefully he’s grown from that and he can be what we want him to be.”

Moore offered a similar summation of the proverbial crossroads he’s arrived at.

“For me, I look at it as all-or-nothing thing,” he said. “Last year was last year. I’m just trying to come out this year and prove to the coaches that I want to be here.

“Like I said, it’s all about hard work. Being able to come out here and actually get some action and show them that I do want to be here, I think that proves a lot.”

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.